New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton, in just his second day after being reinstated from his season-long suspension, made a major move to his staff. The Saints announced Thursday that defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo has been relieved of his duties after just one season with the team. Secondary coach Ken Flajole was also let go.

This is the second consecutive year in which Spagnuolo has been fired from his position. The Saints hired him to run their defense after the St. Louis Rams dismissed him as head coach early last year.

Steve Spagnuolo fired: The Saints' defensive coordinator lasted just one season in New Orleans. (AP Photo)

Spagnuolo replaced Gregg Williams in the fallout from the team's bounty scandal, which led to a season-long suspension for Payton. The Saints' experiment to go from Williams' aggressive blitzing scheme to Spagnuolo's zone-oriented scheme was a disaster.

The team was historically bad in total defense, ranking last in the league while giving a whopping average of 440 total yards per game. The Saints ranked 31st in scoring defense, allowing an average of 28.4 points per game. They also were last against the run (147.6 yards per game allowed) and 31st against the pass (292.6).

The woeful defense failed to support the Saints' No. 2-ranked total offense and No. 3 scoring offense, leading to a disappointing 7-9 record without Payton. Now without Spagnuolo, the Saints will move away from the base 4-3 defense to find some answers.

"I personally want to thank Steve and Ken for their contributions during what was an unprecedented 2012 season," Payton said in a statement issued by the team. "Philosophically we are changing our defense to a 3-4 alignment and right now is the best time to accomplish this transition."

Spagnuolo's stock as an NFL coach has plummeted after he went 10-38 as the head coach of the Rams (2009-11) and his unsuccessful season in New Orleans. His stock was sky-high after he helped the Giants win Super Bowl XLII as the team’s defensive coordinator.